Tag Archives: section 1557

In a series of tweets published on July 26, 2017, President Trump announced a ban on transgender service in the armed forces.  In the wake of this reversal of government policy, employers may question the current state of transgender benefits and whether additional changes are forthcoming.

On May 18, 2016, the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) issued final regulations implementing the nondiscrimination provisions of the Affordable Care Act (“Section 1557”), which prohibit, in part, the categorical refusal of coverage to transgender participants and require that individuals be treated consistent with their self-selected gender identity.  As a result of these changes, many employer group health plans started covering an array of transgender benefits ranging from mental health counseling to gender reassignment surgery. Read More ›